wed the words of the speaker. Brother Michael French, the Director of "CIL" is able to translate into all THREE of the official languages! I felt sorry for Brother Gaetano, the only Italian brother out of all 34 "Cilists" participating in the full six month program. He has a bare bones knowledge of Spanish and no comprehension of French or English. This doesn't deter him from speaking to ANYONE at LENGTH in Italian. It appears a nod of the head and an occasional "scuzi"? is all he requires. Everyone appreciates the irony of an Italian Brother unable to communicate in his own Motherhouse situated on the outskirts of Rome! It would be easy to trivialize the importance of the variety of languages spoken at this conference by noting the "international" flavor of the Institute or the "diversity" of the people following in the footsteps of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. For me, the presence of so many different languages is becoming an opportunity to pay close attention to the challenges of communicating with people from different backgrounds and cultures (a modest and semi-serious example of how we Americans take things for granted is to be found in this advice to future travellers to Italy - avoid eating cereal in the morning if it requires milk!). In a way, I find the presence of so many "voices" (English teachers know what I mean) to be a remarkable opportunity to become more assertive in my own efforts to understand what is being said (many know that my listening skills are not my best feature).
What is truly remarkable is the intense interest on the part of everyone involved in this conference to be able to communicate with each other. Since this conference is being produced by a religious congregation, we spend at least some time in communal prayer. Today's prayer service, which included spoken parts from all three "official" languages, emphasized the importance of serving the Mission of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Consequently, a refrain repeated throughout echoed the words of the prophet, Samuel: "Here I am Lord." Each language group had an opportunity to speak the words in their native tongue. I was struck by the reverence by which each language group approached the refrain. As the morning wore on, I began to focus my attention on the "affective" domain of a group of people whose only common language was that of body language, tone of voice, and the ability to distinguish themselves through highly nuanced behaviors.
We had another "forced march" today and (what appears to be) a "typical" European version of a party. More on these items when I wake up!
* The picture above is taken at sunset from the Spanish Steps. I wanted to go to Harry's American Bar, but the group trudged on instead!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Aqui Estoy , Senor
If nothing else leaves a lasting impact on me as a result of this experience in Rome, it will be my encounter with people from North & South America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and Africa. I was struck by the variety of languages being spoken at meals. With more than 70 participants in this program, dinner can begin to resemble the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel. This morning's opening session was particularly striking because of the availability of instantaneous translation. Booths in the back of the "CIL" Conference Room provided space for translation services in English, Spanish and French. It was fascinating to observe how quickly the translators follo
wed the words of the speaker. Brother Michael French, the Director of "CIL" is able to translate into all THREE of the official languages! I felt sorry for Brother Gaetano, the only Italian brother out of all 34 "Cilists" participating in the full six month program. He has a bare bones knowledge of Spanish and no comprehension of French or English. This doesn't deter him from speaking to ANYONE at LENGTH in Italian. It appears a nod of the head and an occasional "scuzi"? is all he requires. Everyone appreciates the irony of an Italian Brother unable to communicate in his own Motherhouse situated on the outskirts of Rome! It would be easy to trivialize the importance of the variety of languages spoken at this conference by noting the "international" flavor of the Institute or the "diversity" of the people following in the footsteps of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. For me, the presence of so many different languages is becoming an opportunity to pay close attention to the challenges of communicating with people from different backgrounds and cultures (a modest and semi-serious example of how we Americans take things for granted is to be found in this advice to future travellers to Italy - avoid eating cereal in the morning if it requires milk!). In a way, I find the presence of so many "voices" (English teachers know what I mean) to be a remarkable opportunity to become more assertive in my own efforts to understand what is being said (many know that my listening skills are not my best feature).
What is truly remarkable is the intense interest on the part of everyone involved in this conference to be able to communicate with each other. Since this conference is being produced by a religious congregation, we spend at least some time in communal prayer. Today's prayer service, which included spoken parts from all three "official" languages, emphasized the importance of serving the Mission of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Consequently, a refrain repeated throughout echoed the words of the prophet, Samuel: "Here I am Lord." Each language group had an opportunity to speak the words in their native tongue. I was struck by the reverence by which each language group approached the refrain. As the morning wore on, I began to focus my attention on the "affective" domain of a group of people whose only common language was that of body language, tone of voice, and the ability to distinguish themselves through highly nuanced behaviors.
We had another "forced march" today and (what appears to be) a "typical" European version of a party. More on these items when I wake up!
* The picture above is taken at sunset from the Spanish Steps. I wanted to go to Harry's American Bar, but the group trudged on instead!
wed the words of the speaker. Brother Michael French, the Director of "CIL" is able to translate into all THREE of the official languages! I felt sorry for Brother Gaetano, the only Italian brother out of all 34 "Cilists" participating in the full six month program. He has a bare bones knowledge of Spanish and no comprehension of French or English. This doesn't deter him from speaking to ANYONE at LENGTH in Italian. It appears a nod of the head and an occasional "scuzi"? is all he requires. Everyone appreciates the irony of an Italian Brother unable to communicate in his own Motherhouse situated on the outskirts of Rome! It would be easy to trivialize the importance of the variety of languages spoken at this conference by noting the "international" flavor of the Institute or the "diversity" of the people following in the footsteps of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. For me, the presence of so many different languages is becoming an opportunity to pay close attention to the challenges of communicating with people from different backgrounds and cultures (a modest and semi-serious example of how we Americans take things for granted is to be found in this advice to future travellers to Italy - avoid eating cereal in the morning if it requires milk!). In a way, I find the presence of so many "voices" (English teachers know what I mean) to be a remarkable opportunity to become more assertive in my own efforts to understand what is being said (many know that my listening skills are not my best feature).
What is truly remarkable is the intense interest on the part of everyone involved in this conference to be able to communicate with each other. Since this conference is being produced by a religious congregation, we spend at least some time in communal prayer. Today's prayer service, which included spoken parts from all three "official" languages, emphasized the importance of serving the Mission of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Consequently, a refrain repeated throughout echoed the words of the prophet, Samuel: "Here I am Lord." Each language group had an opportunity to speak the words in their native tongue. I was struck by the reverence by which each language group approached the refrain. As the morning wore on, I began to focus my attention on the "affective" domain of a group of people whose only common language was that of body language, tone of voice, and the ability to distinguish themselves through highly nuanced behaviors.
We had another "forced march" today and (what appears to be) a "typical" European version of a party. More on these items when I wake up!
* The picture above is taken at sunset from the Spanish Steps. I wanted to go to Harry's American Bar, but the group trudged on instead!
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Sounds like your having a great time. I have always thought since my first trip overseas, that communicating with others of foreign language is the best part of a trip. Good Luck! Louie
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